1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a high-temperature storage battery with a double-walled housing, insulating material between the walls, at least one storage cell in the interior of the housing, and a cooling device for cooling the cell.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Such high-temperature storage batteries which are constructed from electrochemical storage cells, are used increasingly for the electric propulsion of vehicles.
High-temperature storage batteries which are intended as energy sources, must have an energy content of at least 40 kWH, and more than one hundred storage cell are required to obtain this energy content. The high-temperature storage battery operates at a temperature of about 350.degree. C. In order to avoid heat losses, its storage cells are surrounded by thermal insulation. The high-temperature storage battery also has a cooling arrangement which functions to prevent the operating temperature of the storage cell from rising excessively, thereby protecting the latter from damage caused by above normal temperatures.
British Pat. No. 13 86 525 discloses a high-temperature storage battery with storage cells of the sodium-and-sulfur type which are surrounded by insulation. This thermal insulation is defined by a double-wall housing, the insulating material being disposed between the housing walls. The storage cells are arranged in the interior of this housing. The interior of the housing has a feedline and a discharge line through which a coolant enters and is discharged. It is a disadvantage here that the feedline for the coolant is arranged at the one end and the discharge line at the other end of the battery. This means that the coolant introduced into the high-temperature storage battery can cool the storage cells which are arranged in the vicinity of the entrance opening, better than the storage cells which are located in the vicinity of the exit opening of the coolant, since the coolant is heated up to a considerable extent as it flows against and passes the first storage cells. It should be noted here as a further disadvantage that the storage cells are exposed to the coolant in part directly, which causes unfavorable cooling.